All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee basketball beats Vanderbilt on the road: 3 takeaways from Vols win

By Caleb Calhoun

NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 67-65 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - MARCH 10: Rick Barnes the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers gives instructions to his team during the 67-65 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second round of the SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tennessee basketball topped the Commodores on the road 92-84. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ huge SEC victory.

After a bad first half that ended with them trailing 45-35, Tennessee basketball regrouped in the second half to defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 92-84. This was the Vols second straight win and comes on the heels of a huge win over the Kentucky Wildcats.

With the victory, No. 24 ranked Tennessee gets back to .500 in the SEC at 2-2 and moves to 11-4 overall. Vanderbilt falls to 6-10 overall and 1-3 in the SEC.

This was a huge game for Tennessee. They are set to host the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday, who will be desperate for a conference win, and then next week they have to face the Missouri Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks on the road.

As a result, this loss could have been disastrous for Rick Barnes. But they got the win and a little breathing room in conference play as well. Here are three takeaways from Tennessee basketball’s win.

1. The Vols have an unstoppable bigs. 

It obviously starts with Grant Williams. The big man was dominant on Tuesday, scoring37 points and gathering seven rebounds. Vanderbilt had nobody who could contain him underneath the basket, and he’s only getting better. But Williams isn’t the only guy who is part of this success.

Admiral Schofield was also part of that success, adding 22 points and being able to stretch the floor by going 3-of-4 from three. Those two made up for Kyle Alexander being in foul trouble all night. And it became a huge difference. It also helped offset another takeaway from this game.

2. Tennessee basketball withstood a red-hot shooting night.

Rick Barnes probably will not be happy about the Vols’ defensive effort on the night. After all, they surrendered 84 points and 45 points in the first half. How can you be happy about something like that against a team with a losing record?

However, Vanderbilt did shoot over 40 percent from three and was unstoppable from beyond the arc in the first half. That would have been difficult for anybody to stop, so Tennessee basketball had to withstand it. They withstood it thanks to our final key.

3. Ball movement and efficiency was nearly flawless.

They had some trouble in the first half, but overall Tennessee basketball shot nearly 60 percent from the field and 75 percent in the second half. Yes, Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield had a lot to do with that. But as we mentioned, Schofield was able to stretch the floor with some of that scoring. It also had a ton to do with the fact that Tennessee basketball’s guards set everything up perfectly.

The Vols only had eight turnovers on the night. And while they fed the big men, they shouldered part of the scoring load too. Jordan Bowden came back to life in the second half and finished with 12 points, going 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Jordan Bone and James Daniel III were a combined 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from the three-point line to help out and offset another off-night for Lamonte Turner. So this was an all-around great offensive night, and it resulted in the most points ever for Tennessee at Memorial Gym. That’s an impressive accomplishment.

Home/Vols Basketball